there's no deal. the fiscal cliff is a misnomer. we went off the fiscal cliff a long time ago when we doubled the size of the government in the last 11 years and when we gave increased benefits in medicare without creating tax revenue source to pay for it. the question is not medicare, social security, why would you not just address the issues facing our country and the very things that are going to cripple us if we don't address them? ann and saving medicare, guaranteeing that benefit to people in the future out to be important. we have 3 million people this year that are going to go in to medicare and three million the next and the next. >> what leverage do you think republicans have to force and get a deal? >> i don't know. i think, again, that's washington speak for politics, rather than policy. again, i think we ought to raise it another notch up. shouldn't we be having the president of the united states with the leaders of both houses of congress come together and say what are the real problems in the short term and long term